Turnabout
by DsignG4
Summary: You asked for a sequel, and you got it! Part II now up Story: Marcus comes home to a surprise and a battle of wills.
1. Peekaboo

"Turnabout"   
by DsignG4 

This is my attempt at writing something fairly short and silly. Hope you like it. I had a blast writing it. 

=============== 

He stepped out of the steamy water. His body tensed at the sudden chill of the surrounding air. He shivered and quickly grabbed the towel and began to dry off. He yawned while combing out his hair quickly with his fingers, giving it a toss backwards to keep the wet strands out his eyes for the walk home. He exited to the outer room to redress. 

"Welcome back," A cheerful mystery voice greeted him as he entered. His eyes panned he room to find Ivanova in the shadows of the darkened Medlab with her arms crossed and a bemused scolding look. One eyebrow raised like a triumphant predator. 

Then he realized, brutally, that he was naked as a jaybird as the old expression went. He looked up, he down down....he looked up... 

"Ahhhh!" He yelped, nimbly jumping back behind the door. He quickly fumbled with the towel in his hand around his hips gripping it tightly with his right hand. 

He scrambled for words as he peeked out from behind the door. 

"Uhm, hello... Ah, ah....and how long have you been there? Commander?" He asked creeping out slowly from behind his shelter fighting to look at ease in his current condition. 

"Long enough to hear half of 'Pirates of Penzance'," She croaked dryly. "What are YOU doing here? This is lab shutdown during the night." 

He bit his lip, "Here? Ah... well, you see, Stephen gave me access codes to use the shower here when it closed. I only have a vibe bath and... I have been on assignment for two weeks... uhm, need I say more?" he asked hoping indeed he did not have to say more. He didn't know what more he could say that she hadn't already seen. 

She cracked an eyebrow up on her impassive face, "Yes. Get dressed." She said marching towards the door. She turned back and smirked at him with a glanced up and down his nearly nude form and walked out into the hall. The door closed. 

"Oh bugger, now I'm in for it," He sighed rubbing his face with both hands and there by releasing his towel to fall to the floor. 

He shook his head, well, he now truly new the origin of the word embarrassed. Didn't he? The root, of course, was bare-assed. And that rather explained it all, didn't it? 

He was never gonna live this down. She'd tell others, oh yes she'd delight in it. I could transfer I suppose, I mean there was never really much here for me after all, he mused. Just her, and well, she's seen all I have to offer now. 

He dressed quickly and was shoving his feet into his boots when the door opened again. She walked back in. 

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked looking up while he adjusted his pant cuffs. 

"I didn't. I worked the late shift this week, saw entry codes into a closed Medlab and then the water usage begin. Knew it had to be someone. Didn't know who. I was bored, thought I'd handle it myself." She took a deep breath in and her face turned somber. "You know I have to file charges with security for illegal usage of station facilities, don't you? You'll have to stay onboard just long enough for the hearing and pay a fine. Shouldn't be much maybe thirty or forty cred-" 

"Are you kidding?" He said incredulously standing up putting his hands on his hips, "You are joking right? A fine?!" 

She shook her head no. "You diverted station resources without authorization-" 

"I told you I had Dr. Franklin's permission!" He protested. 

"Franklin didn't have the authority to do that, and you know it." She said without flinching. 

"Oh excuse me, I guess it only was the Chief of the bloody medical staff!" He belted out. "I suppose I thought that counted for something around here! Evidentially I was wrong." 

"You have to have specific command authorization. Unless you have written -" she said maintaining her composure as she began to rattle off mandate and code. 

Oh oh, time to pull out the big guns, he thought wearily. He puckered his mouth, and rubbed his hands together, thickening the air with tension. He'd been holding this trump for quite sometime, in fact this was the perfect time. It was like it was made for it. He was going to enjoy this. 

"What if, hypothetically of course," he said throwing his hands out. "But, what if I had information on other people on board illegally using said station facilities for personal gain?" 

Ivanova's face went slack. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly. 

"Oh, let's just say, purely for discussions sake, it's about a person diverting a small portion of the hydroponics house, in a time of war and crippling sanctions mind you, for personal agricultural pursuits. Something about coffee plants, I believe. Not something I'd call a crop of high yield for the space they take, if you ask me. 

"And.... say.... the suspect was a powerful person on board, a 'commanding' presence as it were," He said with a wink. "Could such information change the minds of the civil authority to take it easy on me? Even commute my sentence for such an atrocity? Hrmmm?" He smirked stroking the under side of his chin methodically. He looked down on her as she squirmed. She opened her mouth to speak. 

He interrupted. Timing was everything with her, "No, no, you're right of course, I suppose it is a far lesser crime than serial showering. Now isn't it?" he droned melodramatically, Susan rolled her eyes. 

She crossed her arms angrily. Her brow furrowed, making a cute crinkle on the bridge of her nose. God, he was enjoying this. 

They stared at each other determinedly. Both trying to psyche out the other. Neither wanting to give in. Marcus let a small smile curl his lips. She didn't know who she was messing with. His business was information and manipulation. He did this all day. 

"Ok, ok! You win! I won't go to security on this, god you can make a pain out of anything," she sighed, shaking her head defeated. 

He straightened himself up, tugged his duster back into place and couldn't resist fighting back the smug smile. 

"I see we have reached an agreement. Good!" He slapped his hands together and turned to walk away, then turned back. "You are very good at what you do Commander, I greatly admire that. But don't forget, there are others of us that excel in our fields as well, you just happened to walk face first into mine." He smiled pointing to the entrance to the Medlab "Oh, and uhm, I would appreciate a knock on the door in future." 

Now Susan smiled. "Oh, no no, I never said that. I never agreed to let you continue, just that I wouldn't press the issue to security," She said raising the eyebrow once more in subjugation. 

"What? Oh, hold the horses!" He protested. "I won that fair and square!" 

She nodded, slowly beginning to circle him, looking very much like the cat the ate the canary. 

"You're right, I am good at what I do. Very. I know every thing about this station," She laid a hand on his shoulder from behind and leaned next to his ear, whispering sinisterly. "Everything," She said pulling away and crossing in front of him again the arrogant smile plastered on her face. 

"Like how to override the temperature controls for the various environments, the water... I could say, hypothetically of course," she said mimicking him, "Set the overnight controls for the water in this Medlab to say twelve degrees. Add a gold level password, and not the Medical Chief of the Staff could override it." She sneered victorious, crossing her arms again. 

"You wouldn't," he challenged. 

"I would. But not until I saw that it was in use at the time. Just to get my point across, of course." She said with a twisted smile. 

Marcus frowned. "That would be cruel and unusual punishment. And very petty, if I might say so." 

"Eh! Whatever works." She shrugged suddenly looking uninterested. She leaned in and in a low measured growl she warned him. "Just remember - I'm God here. I know all. I see all. Is that perfectly clear?" She said standing straight, tugging her uniform to it's proper position. 

He smirked, she certainly had seen all, hadn't she. 

"Crystal. Alright, I'll find another way I suppose," He sighed shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just uhm.. one more thing..." he said stepping closer, his voice lower so as to make it personal. "I do trust that this won't get out? Right? It could be very embarrassing," He motioned his head towards the shower nervously. "Hmm?" 

For he first time he saw Susan Ivanova look mischievous. 

"I suppose it could," She smiled turning to leave with a cock of her head, walking through the door into the hallway. "But, you have nothing to be embarrassed about from what I saw," He just barely heard her insinuate sultrily before it shut. 

Marcus' jaw dropped and stared after for several seconds as the full impact of what she said sunk in over and over. Oh dear god.   
  


"Whoo boy! You don't do things slowly do you?" Stephen laughed. "I never saw you as the flasher type," He laughed in the usual lunchtime place in the Zocolo. 

Marcus shook his head. "Oh shut up! I never should have told you! I don't know what I was thinking. My mistake," He growled in mock chagrin. 

"Did you tell her I said it was ok with me?" 

"Of course I did! Then she told me I'd have to face charges for misuse of station facilities and pay a fine, and that you didn't have the authority to say that." 

"You're kidding!" 

"I wish I was." He bemoaned. 

"God, she must really hate you to go that far with it." 

"I luckily managed to persuade her out of it." 

Franklin leered, "How did you do that?" 

"I simply began collective bargaining - I said wouldn't tell what I knew if she didn't tell what she knew." 

"Blackmail then," Stephen said nodding. 

"Oh, that's such a negative term, but yes!" He smiled back 

"So what do you know about her?" Stephen asked curiously with a greedy leer. 

"I can't tell you that now can I?" He snorted. He fingered a melted ice cube out of his empty glass and into his mouth, rolling it around his tongue looking around his busy surroundings. 

"Hey there, Streak," Sheridan said with a wide smile as he passed, slapping Marcus on the back solidly. 

Marcus' eyes bulged in shock as the ice cube fought it's way down his throat. He sputtered. Stephen slapped him on the back to help clear it. He gripped the bar for support and shot a look at a leaving Sheridan. 

He snapped back a look of horror to his companion, "She didn't." 

"Looks like she did," Stephen said trying to look placid, though his eyes gave him away as ready to bust out laughing. "Can you tell me now?" 

Marcus shot him an admonishing look. "No!"   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Cold showers

I know I said "No sequels", but this kinda hit me in the middle of the night. Enjoy! (I hope!)

* * *

Whenever she was looking for him she could never seem to find him. She considered his knowing exactly how to annoy her one of his most irritating traits. 

Commander Susan Ivanova understood she'd made a error in judgement, but it was one that she wanted to apologize for - if she could only find him. It'd been almost a week since she'd, well, overstepped the boundaries of polite teasing and had brought Sheridan and Garibaldi into the joke of catching Marcus in the buff coming out of the shower.

She had asked John and Michael over breakfast the next morning if they had known there was shower in the MedLab 3 Burn Unit. Apparently they were as surprised as she had been, but then their quarters possessed water showers so they didn't need to go looking for one either. That's when they ask how she found this apparently well-kept secret. Susan had hemmed and hawed but eventually they knew which buttons to press and pulled it out of her. She was surprised Marcus himself hadn't heard them laughing all the way down in whatever corner in Brown sector he holed up in doing whatever it was he did during the day.

So now Susan Ivanova, Commander of Babylon 5, poked at the dingy shadows in some of these same corners in search for the well meaning ranger who she'd all but shamed into hiding.

Her stomach growled as she passed a food cart with sandwich like fare at one of the better vendors in this level. She sighed at her mission being delayed a few minutes more as she fished in her pockets for a few spare credits. After receiving her meal she moved to the end of the table where some condiments were supplied. She spooned on a couple spoonfuls of onions on to the the open bun.

"I rather like the brown stuff myself, but then I tend to lean to the spicy side," came the voice who's owner she'd been searching for. She spun on her heels to see Marcus Cole standing directly behind her arms crossed with a rather smug look on his face.

"I've been looking for you everywhere do you know that!" She snarled, although she had no idea why, as she angrily slapped a yellow colored sauce on to the top.

"Yes. I've been following you for a while now. Finally got hungry. What's up, Commander?" he said appearing to be not the least bothered by her surly mood.

She looked up at him incensed at the fact he'd been trailing her for god knows how long. She had noticed he used her title, something he never did. What was he up to? "You knew I was looking for you and you instead decided to follow me and make me look like a fool?"

A wide cheshire smile entered his face then he looked away, over to the food vendor. "Good afternoon, Mister Yin!" he greeted genuinely.

The ancient little asian man smiled a wide toothless smile, picking his spoon back up, "Marcus! Almost thought I wasn't going to see you today. The usual?"

"Yes, please, and a side of those amazing dumplings," he smiled stepping back towards the man and started a line of friendly chitchat during their transaction as Susan silently raged. "And please tell the ravishing Mrs. Yin I said hello. Here you go, keep the change." Marcus finished handing him some credits and shuffled the paper tray of food into one wide hand as he walked back down to where she stood. He silently leaned past her and nonchalantly piled on a healthy amount of the spicy brown sauce onto the top his sandiwch and then popped a steaming hot dumpling in his mouth with his fingers and made a face of blissful appreciation. He opened his eyes again and pointed a wet digit down at a rickety table with two rather questionable stools.

"Shall we?" he said with a still full mouth and moved onto one without bothering to see if she was going to answer, let alone follow.

She sighed and moved to the table, almost tossing her food down in front of her as she sat down. Marcus was too busy eating his heavenly dumplings and making faces. "You about done?" She asked crossing her arms.

He looked up at her with surprise, "I'm sorry, Commander! I wasn't thinking. Would you like one?" then he held out the little tray of dumplings he'd been working on. "I have a some left. Please, help yourself."

The title again. He was making a point but damn if she could see it now. She could understand if he was still angry, He deserved to be and she'd let him have that, but this fracking childish insolence was almost too much to bear. She sighed irritably, attempting to shove any previous anger away. "Cut the 'Commander' crap will you? You're really not making this easier. I came to apologize, alright?" She sighed. "And since when did you ever address me properly anyway?"

The Ranger gingerly fished another steaming hot dumpling out of the paper tray and looked at her expectantly with wide green eyes that teased her as he chewed . He sucked one fingertip clean with a audible smack and waited.

He wasn't even going to respond to that, she thought. She didn't apologize often, and he damn well knew that. He merely sat there eyeing her expectantly.

She rolled her eyes, "What?" she asked exasperated raising her hands.

He spoke calmly. "I believe I heard something about an apology somewhere in the middle of that verbal assault. Or was I mistaken?"

She cringed at that purposeful poke. She set her food back down and rubbed at the spot between her eyes "So help me god if I make it through this day without killing you-" she muttered, mostly to herself.

At that Marcus stood up wiping his mouth with his thumb and pitched the remainder of his uneaten food in a receptacle a few feet away. "Well, this has been pleasant, but it's obvious we've both wasted enough time today. If you will excuse me, I have some more pressing issues that I need to attend to," and he swooshed off without so much as a second look at her.

Susan cursed herself for going off on a tangent, slamming her fist down onto the table. She had come down here to apologize and she was damn well going to do it! She found herself bolting after him.

Always a half a corridor behind she struggled to keep up with the long legged Ranger, at times losing sight of him completely only to catch sight of the back his duster rippling around a corner.

She came to a screeching halt in the middle of the Zocolo. She spun around methodically scanning the crowd looking for a tall sable-haired head amongst so many cue-bald races that whirled about her. She lost him! She cursed under her breath, her lip curling viciously up in disgust.

"Damn it!" she huffed, her chest heaving from the run. She bent over and braced her hands on her knees and took a several deep breaths to steady herself. She stood back up, propping her hands up on her hips still winded and helplessly glanced once more around the crowd. It was useless, he was gone.

Seeing it was a hopeless task she turned to head back to her quarters to change - and was met amused green eyes of Marcus Cole inches from her own. "You're really bad at this you know," he replied with a mischievous smirk.

"You son of a-" Susan spurted out as he began to laugh so loud that the entire Zocolo turned to see what was going on.

It was at this point Marcus swept forward and bridged the space between them, "Apology accepted," he whispered huskily as a hand suddenly gripped her at the base of her back. Another appeared the back of her head as she felt herself bent backwards into a deep dip before she even had a moment to realize she was now locked in a mind-blowing kiss in front of the entire packed Zocolo. Before she even knew what she was doing she found her hands at the back of his neck holding on for dear life. Her lips resisted as he pulled away, spinning her back to her feet.

She stood in a stupor, jaw agape, staring at his smirking triumphant face. "Now we're even. Susan." He winked giving her a cocky two fingered salute. She was still too stunned to do more than stand there and watch as he vanished into the crowd as if he were a ghost.

"Oh my," she gasped as she became aware of the hundreds of eyes upon her and gulped as the chuckles began. Her hand went to her mouth hiding her stunned smile.

She snapped back, dropped her hand, curled her lip, straightened her back, tugged down her uniform jacket and swiftly began to walk away with the most determined look she could muster. The further away she got from the Zocolo the more her smile returned and she found it harder to push back now that she was out of the public eye. She finally stopped in a secluded corridor and collapsed against the wall, blowing out a stiff breath as the kiss raced back into her consciousness. " Woah."

Susan shook her head to clear it as she smoothed a hand down the back of her tousled hair, and began her long trek back to her quarters where there was a cold shower waiting for her. She somehow doubted it would wipe the smile off her face.


End file.
